Are high schools snubbing Obama?

After only 68 schools enter a contest to secure the president as their senior classes' commencement speaker, the White House extends the competition's deadline

Obama gets a warm reception at a Wisconsin high school last September.
(Image credit: CC BY: The White House)

High schools nationwide can compete for a chance to have President Obama speak at their graduation ceremony, but few are bothering this year, according to leaked White House memos. More than 1,000 high schools entered the contest last year, but only 68 had applied as of Feb. 28, when a memo warning, "Something isn't working," was issued. The White House extended the deadline and now says "a large number" of schools have applied, but won't supply an exact tally. Why aren't high schools leaping at the opportunity to score an Obama appearance? (Watch a CBS report about the competition)

The thrill is gone: Maybe the contest is such a "complete bust" this year because the high schoolers have realized that they're the ones who will have to pay back Obama's "mountain of debt," says Dana Pretzer at Scared Monkeys. With Obama's celebrity "magic" obviously fading, even among the young, the White House should have thought this contest out before exposing Obama to such "public embarrassment."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us